1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of customer support and more particularly to knowledge management systems for use with customer support systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems such as home and business computers continue to proliferate. As a result, the provision of timely and effective diagnostic, support, and maintenance services to end users has become an important issue for manufacturers and sellers of computer systems. It is not uncommon for end users to experience difficulties with their systems, whether they are novices or experienced users attempting to add or reconfigure existing systems. For example the system might lock up or a peripheral of the computer system, such as a hard drive, disk drive, or printer, may not function properly. In other cases, the computer system may not recognize the peripheral. The solution to these sorts of problems may be as simple as providing power to the affected peripheral or reconnecting it to the computer system. In other cases, it may be necessary to install a driver update or software patch or the computer system hardware or software may need to be reconfigured. However, some problems are more difficult to diagnose and remedy.
In the past, users were typically limited to diagnosing and correcting an issue by consulting a user manual that was included with the system or peripheral when it was purchased. These manuals typically include troubleshooting tables or guides that attempt to diagnose a user's problem on the basis of symptoms recognized by the user. However, the effectiveness of the user's manual in helping to identify and correct the problems encountered depends in large part on the clarity and completeness of the user's manual and the skill of the computer user. An inexperienced user may have difficulty in locating the source of the problem and in following the often confusing instructions in the user's manual. Moreover, user's manuals are often deficient in that they do not address every potential difficulty encountered by the user nor are they easily updated.
As an alternative, or in addition to consulting a user's manual, a user experiencing difficulty with a system may consult diagnostic and support software stored locally on the system. The effectiveness of locally stored diagnostic software is limited in that these software programs generally display text files that have information similar to that found in user's manuals. Another limitation is that such diagnostics are typically not updated once they are installed on the system at the factory. As a result, users attempting to diagnose computer system problems through locally stored software programs face limitations similar to those encountered when using a user's manual that has not been updated.
Alternatively, users may have access to a support or help line. A support or help line requires that the user contact a support technician or specialist at a central site. The support technician listens to the symptoms the user is experiencing and attempts to diagnose the problem. This process often involves the support technician stepping the user through a series of diagnostic tests. If appropriate, the support technician may provide the user with instructions or tips for correcting the problem. The effectiveness of such interpersonal diagnostic and support services depends in large part on the skill of the user being assisted. Regardless of the skill and knowledge of the support technician, the user will nevertheless have to correctly describe the problem being experienced, assist the support technician in diagnosing the problem, and perform the fix or correction suggested by the support technician.
As another alternative, users can sometimes consult an on-line support site provided and maintained by the manufacturer or seller of their computer system or peripherals. However, customers are often challenged when navigating these sites. For example, current approaches include decision trees that present questions and choices to the customer in an attempt to diagnose their problem. However, responses to such decision trees often result in generalized, vague, ambiguous, or even incomprehensible suggestions that fail to provide conclusive resolution of the customer's issue. Other navigation issues are created when problem resolution information is categorized by a summary of the solution instead of a description of the symptoms it addresses. As another example, a customer may enter search terms describing the symptoms of their problem into a support site's search page. Instead of receiving a list of possible solutions, they receive a list of Web pages or articles that contain the same string of search terms and words. Accordingly, end-users can experience difficulty and frustration when trying to troubleshoot and resolve their computer system issues, which in turn can lead to an unsatisfactory customer support experience.